In the Shadow of Virtue: Open Letter to a Queen

Stratics Veteran

[[Out of character notes: This is an RP post, in the form of a letter to Queen Dawn. This letter relates to tonight's EM event. If you weren't there, you missed out. It was very rough, and very frustrating, but also very fun, had a very cool reward, had some really cool fighting, some really good atmosphere and trimmings and inspired some cool Role Playing, which in part inspired this letter.]]

The following is published as a paid advertisement in the newspapers, or other journalistic outlets of the realm. You may assume your characters have seen it if you wish them too.

Your Grace, Queen Dawn:

I hope you won't take offense at my making this so public. I feel that a mere antiques dealer such as myself would find it difficult to find your ear otherwise.

Honor, Humility, Valor, and other Virtues compelled me to defend you tonight, with my mind and words as well as with my blade.

However, Honesty now compels me to tell you that I actually agree with some of the criticisms of you. I would suggest that you should not have put the Crystal on display. It was too powerful, too tempting. I understand why you did it, I understand your argument, at least I think I do. But the argument was clearly incorrect. The Crystal should NOT have been put on display.

I further suggest that at least one person on your staff probably also told you this.

Tonight WAS a victory, and I confess the Sin of Pride in knowing that I fought at your side. But it was a victory only in the sense of stopping more people from getting killed than otherwise would have, and in the sense that the enemy was clearly displeased that he wasn't able to kill more of us.

But, it was not a victory in any other sense. We now face graver threats than we did before.

Honesty doesn't mean being open about everything. Some think it does, but they're wrong. Honesty, in part, means dealing with reality as it is, and not pretending it's anything different. Sometimes Honesty requires public action, like how I feel compelled to publish this letter. Sometimes, though, Honesty requires keeping something hidden away. Like the Crystal.

As I said at your coronation, I find it HIGHLY unlikely that you will betray us or leave us, as your immediate predecessors did. For that, and for MANY other reasons, it's going to take a lot to shake my loyalty to you, and the failure with the Crystal doesn't come CLOSE to the threshold.

But now, your Grace, Honesty requires that you learn from the immediate past, even as you and your staff look to the future.

I expect, and ask for, no reply whatsoever. Knowing that you're likely to read this at all is enough.

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